Method for folding paper



April 17, 1951 c. J. REIGH 2,549,386

METHOD FOR FOLDING PAPER File d Jan. 20, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 INVENTOR Clam/2031804912,

WITNESSES A TTORNEYS.

Ap 1951 c. J. RElGH 2,549,386

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Patented Apr. 17, 1951 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE METHOD FOR FOLDING PAPER Clarence J. Reigh, Altoona, Pa.

Application January 20, 1948, Serial No. 3,286 2 Claims. (01. 270-61) This invention relates to a method and device for folding paper. Although useful for a variety of purposes, the method and device of this invention are particularly applicable to the'folding of maps, charts, records and the like in an accordion fashion.

The principal object of the invention is to provide means which are comparatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and which can be readily manipulated to cause a strip of paper to be folded and creased at predetermined regions thereof in a minimum of time.

A further object of the invention is to provide instrumentalities for use with such a device which are so designed that the operator may by'simple manual movements perform all of the operations of progressively feeding a rolled strip to a box, and folding and creasing the strip at the desired regions thereof within the box, and thus expedite the folding of the strip as well as confine all of such operations to a relatively small space. Other objects and advantages of the invention, including the simplicity and economy of the same as compared with the use of older devices and methods, will become more apparent from the description of one embodiment of the invention and its method of operation, as set forth hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, whereof:

Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of the device of my invention with the rolled strip in position for folding and the screw press removed;

Fig. 2 represents a perspective view of the same after the strip has been folded and showing the screw press applied to the device to exert pressure on the folded strip to effect the final folding and creasing thereof;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the pair of fold plates shown in Fig. 1 which are used for .ef-.

fecting the preliminary folding and creasing iof the strip;

Figs. 4 to 9 inclusive are diagrammatic cross sectional views of the box shown in Figs. 1 and 2 illustrating the sequence of steps involved in the preliminary folding and creasing operations; and

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a chart folded by the device and according to the method illustrated in the preceding drawings. 7 In the illustrated example of theinvention the device, see Figs. 1 and 2, consists of a base I supporting a rectangular box 2 having an open top and at least one open end, and a standard 3 affixed to the base and serving to support a rolled strip of paper 4 above the box. 'The side walls 'vice is as follows.

5 and 6 of the box 2 are shown as being in the form of angle bars which are secured to thebase iby bolts 1 and washers 8. In an obvious mannor by providing transverse slots 20 in their horizontal flanges the position of the angle bars which form the sides 5 and 6 may be adjusted to vary the size of the folded article. At its rear end the box 2 has a fixed Wall II! which assists in guiding the rolled strip as it enters the box.

Desirably the roll supporting standard 3 has an arm 9 which parallels the long axis of the box 2 and is disposed directly above the center of the box whereby the rolled strip tends to feed by gravity first to one side and then to the other side of the box. In order to guide and confine the rolled strip in its movement towards the box two collars II are provided on the arm 9. These collars ll may be made of soft rubber and they are so situated or adjusted on the arm 9 as to substantially confine the rolled strip 4' between the ends of the box 2 as it is fed to the interior thereof.

A pair of fold plates l2 and 13, most clearly shown in Fig. 3, are used to effect the preliminary folding and creasing of the strip. These fold plates [2,13 may be counterparts of each other. Each has an area corresponding to the inside area of the box 2 and each has an integrally formed finger tab [4, l5 adapted, when the fold plates are fitted within'the box, to extend outwardly through the epen end, one tab 14 being disposed at one side of the box where, it may be gripped by the fingers of the operators hand, and the other side of the box where it may be separately gripped by the operator, either with the same or with the opposite hand.

For the final folding and creasing operation a pressure plate I6 and a screw press I! are employed. The pressure plate It fits snugly within the box 2. The screw press includes a handle [8 affixed to the upper end of a threaded post l9 which engages a bar 2| disposed transversely of box 2 at its open top. By means of hook-shaped lugs 22 attached to the sides 5, 6 of the box 2 the ends of the bar 2| may be locked in place, as shown in Fig. 2; and when not in use the entire screw press, includin bar 2|, may be disengaged from the lugs and removed from the box, as shown in Fig. 1.

. The preferred method of operation of the de- The rolled strip 4 is placed upon the arm 9 of the standard 3 between the collar guides H. j The screw press l1, pressure plate 16, and fold plates 12, I3 are all removed from the box 2. Thereupon'the leading edge of the rolled strip is caused to abut against the side wall 6 at the interior of the box, and the end portion of the strip is caused to lie across the bottom of the box. This is accomplished, with incidental formation of the first fold, by laying the fold plate I3 on top of the end portion of the strip with its finger tab 15 at the left hand side of the box, in the manner shown in Fig. 4, the portion thus folded being of a width corresponding exactly to the width of the box at the inside thereof. Care is taken to maintain the rear edge of the strip in contact with the end wall of the box. If the collar guides II are properly set upon the arm 9, the strip 4, as it unrolls, will tend to feed into the box within the confines of the side walls 5 and 6 and against the end wall I0.

After the first fold has been made the operator grasps the fold plate [2 and with it moves the next succeeding portion of the strip downwardly and to the right, applying pressure as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 5, and causing the strip to pass through the position indicated in dot-anddash lines to the position indicated in full lines in Fig. 5, whereupon the second fold is efiected at the right hand side Wall 6 of the box 2. Fold plate 52 is laid within the box on the top of the folded sections.

Upon completion of the second fold the operator withdraws the first used fold plate 13 by grasping its finger tab l5 and extracting it endwise through the open end of the box. Using the fold plate 13 thus extracted from beneath the folded portion of the strip, the operator moves the next succeeding portion of the strip downwardly and to the left in the manner represented in Fig. 6. The third fold is then effected at the left hand side wall 5 of the box after which fold plate ii? is laid within the box on top of the folded sections in the manner represented in Fig. 7.

Upon completion of the third fold the operator withdraws fold plate l 2 by grasping its finger tab [4 and movin it endwise through the open end of the box. Using the fold plate 52 thus extracted, the operator moves the next succeeding portion of the strip downwardly and to the right in the manner represented in Fig. 8. The fourth fold is then effected at the right hand side wall 6 of the box as shown in Fig. 9. These operations are repeated and continued until the entire strip has been folded. Thereupon the pressure plate it is applied to the top of the folded strip and the screw press ll is temporarily secured in place at the top of the box 2. By screwing down the handle E8 the operator then applies pressure to effect the final folding and creasing of the paper.

Finally the operator releases the pressure and removes the screw press ii and pressure plate IS. The folded strip then assumes a condition as represented in Fig. 10. It will be noted that the preliminary operations in which the. fold plates l2 and it are used give a sufficient fold and crease to the strip to establish the fold lines, that upon withdrawal of the fold plates and their reinsertion at higher levels, with pressure applied as indicated by the arrows in Figs. '7 and 9, a more complete fold is effected at the lower levels, and that the final operation with the screw press effects a sharper creasing at the fold lines and causes the chart or other article to lie fiat when removed from the box. It will be appreciated that the preliminary fold lines are established when the paper strip is wrapped around an edge of a fold plate and the rounded crease thereby obtained is temporary and of entirely diiferent character from the sharp, permanent fold attained by exerting downwardly directed pressure after withdrawal of a fold plate, wherein direct contact is effected between adjacent paper strip portions and between the web edge formed and the side wall of the box.

Although it is sufiicient to use only a pair of fold plates l2, l3, it is possible to employ a larger number of such plates and to design the tabs l4 and 15 in many different ways so that each plate of the series may be separately extracted without interference with the other plates. Moreover, the finger tabs I4, l5, although desirably formed as integral extensions of the fold plates, may be made as separate pieces and in a great variety of shapes; and my invention as claimed hereinafter is intended to comprehend any equivalent form of device for grasping a fold plate.

It will also be apparent that various modifications may be made in the form of the roll support, the box and screw press, and that certain features of my invention may be used to advantage without the use of other features, all without departing from the spiritof the invention as defined in the annexed claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A method of folding a paper strip to form a web comprising progressively feeding said strip to an open box, positioning said strip on the bottom of the box, inserting a first fold plate in said box above a first portion of said strip, placing said first fold plate on said first strip portion above the bottom of the box, placing the next or second strip portion on top of the first fold plate, placing a second fold plate on top of the second strip portion, thereby forming a web edge comprising the juncture of the first and second strip portions, said web edgebeing rounded and in contact with a side wall of the box, removing said first fold plate fromv its position'between said first and second strip portions, reinserting the fold plate above the free paper strip, pressing the re inserted fold plate downwardly against the underlying paper strip while the first and second stripportions are in immediate contact with each other and the web edge formed thereby is disposed against a side wall of the box, thereby setting a sharp crease at the web edge by combined crushing pressure of the first strip portion, second strip portion, and side wall.

2. A method of folding a paper strip to form a web comprising suspending said strip in loosely rolled form above a box, said box having a fiat floor and opposed side walls but being open at the top and at one end, placing a free end of said strip against a first side wall of the box, placing a first flat fold plate above said end portion of the strip, flattening said first fold plate with the strip disposed between the first fold plate and the fioor and opposed side wall of the box, thereby partially foldin said strip against said opposed side wall to define the first element of the web, placing a second fiat fold plate above the strip, flattening said second fold pla'te with a next portion of said strip disposed between the first and second fold plates and said first side wall of the box, thereby partially folding the end of said next portion to define the second element of the web, and defining a rounded fold line between said first and second web elements, removing said first fold plate by endwise movement from its position between the first and second web elements, reinserting said first fold plate above-the free paper strip, pressing the reinserted fold plate downwardly against the underlying REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Astley July 13, 1920 Overbury -1 Jan. 18, 1921 Woodruff Jan. 1, 1929 Cronin Feb. 27, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Oct. 4, 1913 Germany Mar. 10, 1919 Austria Dec. 29, 1919 

